1/09/2008 @ 3:15PM

Seven Steps When Starting From Scratch At 50

It’s inevitable: This year, throngs of baby boomers will be forced to start from financial ground zero because of layoffs, bankruptcy, divorce or even a spouse’s death. Plenty more will choose to stay trapped in miserable marriages for fear of braving new, unstable lives. For those feeling the sands shifting beneath them–or those who just like to be prepared–here are seven steps toward terra firma.